Learning the whole album?

[Bilbo]

Just bouncing off Heathy's 'Sgt. Pepper' thread, I was just thinking whether I had ever tried to learn the basslines off a whole album. I learned quite a bit of Alphonso Johnson off Face Value, Steve Harris off Iron Maiden's 1st, a lot of Chris Squire off Tormato, a wodge of Jeff Berlin off Feels Good To Me, Gradually Going Tornado and One Of A Kind, lots of Jaco bits etc. But I don't think I have ever put work into getting a whole album learned.

My own thoughts are that the learning gained from working on tunes is going to vary song to song and some of it will be not be time particularly well spent. Learning the bassline of Mull of Kintyre because it was on an album would, imo, be wasted effort, for example.

[paul_5]

I've learnt pretty much everything from 'moving pictures' by Rush, but i think that's about the closest I've done to a full album.

[chris_b]

A friend of mine made an album of original songs and then went out to gig it. I had to learn the lot. It wasn't that difficult and most of the numbers were pretty good so it was an enjoyable experience.

[Hobbayne]

I learned the Sound Affects album by The Jam when I first started playing - started off on simple songs like Pretty Green, Music For The Last Couple before going to But I,m Different Now etc.
If you,re not familar with this album take a listen, theres some great bass work on there by the legendary Bruce Foxton.

[Doddy]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1220770' date='May 5 2011, 10:57 AM']Just bouncing off Heathy's 'Sgt. Pepper' thread, I was just thinking whether I had ever tried to learn the basslines off a whole album. I learned quite a bit of Alphonso Johnson off Face Value, Steve Harris off Iron Maiden's 1st, a lot of Chris Squire off Tormato, a wodge of Jeff Berlin off Feels Good To Me, Gradually Going Tornado and One Of A Kind, lots of Jaco bits etc. But I don't think I have ever put work into getting a whole album learned.

My own thoughts are that the learning gained from working on tunes is going to vary song to song and some of it will be not be time particularly well spent. Learning the bassline of Mull of Kintyre because it was on an album would, imo, be wasted effort, for example.[/quote]
I'm pretty much the same. I learned a ton of Primus,Jaco,Marcus and way more,but I've never really learned entire albums.I've had transcription books of albums by bands like the Chili Peppers and played all the way through them,but I never really [i]learned[/i] the album-it was more like reading the stuff and then picking out my favourite bits.

Something like Mull of Kintyre might be useful as an early ear training song,but that's really it,bass-wise.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1220818' date='May 5 2011, 11:28 AM']A friend of mine made an album of original songs and then went out to gig it. I had to learn the lot. It wasn't that difficult and most of the numbers were pretty good so it was an enjoyable experience.[/quote]
That's different though because you learnt the songs for a gig. It's not like you learned it just for the reason of learning it.

[Lenny B]

Led Zep 2 and Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

Although, looking back a few years later, I'm not sure that I nailed it 100%...

[chris_b]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1220936' date='May 5 2011, 12:41 PM']....That's different though because you learnt the songs for a gig. It's not like you learned it just for the reason of learning it....[/quote]
Why would you want to learn an album of songs if you weren't going to gig them? I understand learning and practising a song, a riff or a technique but I'm with Bilbo on this. A whole album, why?

[Eight]

I learned an EP... does that count?

[Doddy]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1221009' date='May 5 2011, 01:27 PM']Why would you want to learn an album of songs if you weren't going to gig them? I understand learning and practising a song, a riff or a technique but I'm with Bilbo on this. A whole album, why?[/quote]

Exactly

[paulflan0151]

Jaco 1976, Jamiroquai/ travelling without moving, blood sugar sex magic, the revolution will not be telivised /gill scott heron, and many more. Thats how I learned to play. Well that and 2 years of college and 3 in uni ;-)

[Sibob]

I remeber when I first started out, I learned the entirety of Rage Against The Machine & Evil Empire...and Fashion Nugget by Cake too

Si

[Jerry_B]

I have quite a few favourite albums and I know the basslines for all of them, which must be quite a few songs.

As to why - well, why not? If you enjoy the music it's a good motivator, let alone good practice.

[Dave Vader]

I've been known to throw on a favourite album, and just play along the whole way through.
Don't know if that counts as learning, but I've done Sabbath 4 and Led Zep 1 so many times now it probably does.
Nice way to relax and jam and just enjoy it for once.

[mcgraham]

I don't think I've ever consciously decided to transcribe an entire album, but I think I may have inadvertently learned the whole of the album 'Antipop' over the course of a number of years (combination of learning already transcribed parts and learning some by ear myself). I've been thinking about returning to transcribing some more of Matt Garrison's album 'Matt Garrison Live' from a learning point of view.

As a slight aside, Hadrien Feraud is reputed to have transcribed/learned by ear the entirety of Jaco Pastorius selftitled album as a young player... explains why his chops are pretty tidy!

[Ross]

I can play the entirety of Tommy, closest thing to it I guess.

[Hector]

I did a Dark Side Of The Moon tribute gig a few years ago. Light show and sound FX and all that jazz. Was ace!


EDIT - I remember I had to play the synth bassline during "On The Run". That bit wasn't so ace.

Edited May 6, 2011 by Hector

[Low End Bee]

I didn't even learn all the stuff on my last album. Let alone anyone elses.

Saying that I could probably busk it for Never Mind The Bollocks.

[Skol303]

As a teenager, I learned all of Metallica's first three albums (Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets) and would spend afternoons fanatically playing through all of them in turn, over and over, until my fingers were raw...

I still believe I owe much of my finger stamina to those many hours spent trying to keep pace with Cliff Burton!

Good, noisy times :-)

[steverickwood]

When I was teenage and had the time, I would learn every album I could get my hands on...every Police/jam/rush/king crimson/jamiroquia/primus/galiano/chilis/paul simon/level42/anything It helped me have a ton of ideas when it came to songwriting/constructing basslines and gave me an opportunity to improvise over a band and absorb many styles and techniques in the quest to find a voice.
Once I was in bands and working the time to do this lessened but for 4 or 5 years I think I learnt any tune that cames my way, any album (even synth bass stuff) jingles, theme tunes etc. It also helped my ear training.
Until I had a formal education this was my only means of learning.(other than gigs)

I get so excited when I see my students getting the spark in their eye when they start to realise they can do this and begin their musical addiction and part of me wishes I was back there starting it all again:)

Naturally, I wouldn't change a thing of course!

So I don't see why you would not want to learn stuff provided you have the time:)

Edited May 8, 2011 by steverickwood

[Heathy]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1221009' date='May 5 2011, 01:27 PM']Why would you want to learn an album of songs if you weren't going to gig them? I understand learning and practising a song, a riff or a technique but I'm with Bilbo on this. A whole album, why?[/quote]


A few months back Bilbo said in a different thread that hard work and learning is fun. That's the answer.

Also, even if I never gigged the actual songs. I would definitely be gigging what I learned from them.

[Wil]

The only album I ever spent a lot of time learning songs from was Jamiroquai's first effort. Taught me a lot about groove, that.

[Doddy]

[quote name='Heathy' post='1222549' date='May 6 2011, 08:14 PM']A few months back Bilbo said in a different thread that hard work and learning is fun. That's the answer.

Also, even if I never gigged the actual songs. I would definitely be gigging what I learned from them.[/quote]

I think that there is a lot to be said for learning an album for enjoyment purposes. But,if you choose
to learn a whole album or bunch of albums by a particular artist,the learning curve won't be as great.
After a couple of tunes you will recognise patterns and licks that the particular player uses often,it
doesn't matter if it's Flea,Claypool,Marcus,Victor or whoever-everyone does it-and once you can play their
licks and ideas,it becomes easier and you learn less.
It's at this point when,I think,you would benefit more from checking out someone else. Rather than
getting too deep into one player(we've all done it) and risking becoming a clone,go and learn something
else and extend your vocabulary even more,even if it's within a similar style.

Bear in mind that I'm separating learning/education and personal enjoyment.

[Heathy]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1222578' date='May 6 2011, 08:47 PM']After a couple of tunes you will recognise patterns and licks that the particular player uses often,it
doesn't matter if it's Flea,Claypool,Marcus,Victor or whoever-everyone does it-and once you can play their
licks and ideas,it becomes easier and you learn less.[/quote]

That seems like a real positive to me. And as you say, undertaking a similar exercise for a variety of artistes will extend your own vocabulary.

I recently put a lot of work into rehearsing for a Bowie tribute. Identifying patterns between what, at first listen, appear to be very different songs written decades apart I found particularly rewarding.

[Lfalex v1.1]

I wouldn't learn a whole album.
I'd treat each track on it's own merit. I employ a similar methodology for putting MP3s on a player. If it ain't good enough, it just doesn't get put on there.
To date there are only 2 albums that get listened to in their entirety;

Tori Amos- Boys for Pele
Jellyfish- Spilt milk

Nary a filler track between them, but I'd say at least third of the tracks on both do not use a bass guitar at all anyway...

[ahpook]

quite a few, not that i could remember them all now tho.

lots of early cure albums, joy division, wedding present, pale saints...

it's basically how i taught myself how to play bass.